Demise of Mickey's Evil Twin

In the cartoon universe that I inhabited as a kid, cartoon characters never died. They took a hell of a beating –--ask the Coyote, cohort of the Road Runner, or even ‘Itchy and Scratchy' on the Simpsons—but they never expired with little crosses where their eyeballs used to be.

A Palestinian kiddie show has taken the fatal step and actually killed off Farfour, a giant rodent in a tuxedo who bore a cheeky resemblance to Mickey Mouse. Farfour urged Palestinian tots to drink lots of milk, study, and “resist” Israeli and American “oppressors”. Farfur was even supposed to have squeaked; “We will annihilate the Jews” though more accurate Arabic translations have it as: “The Jews are shooting at us.” Still not exactly kosher by cartoon standards. Needless to say, the Disney family was not impressed. Diane Disney Miller, the surviving daughter of Mickey's creator called Farfur “pure evil”.

Faced with western outrage over Mickey's evil cousin, the al-Aqsa TV station, run by Islamic militants Hamas, decided to exterminate the mouse. It won't surprise you to hear that Farfour is beaten to death by Israeli soldiers (mercifully, off-camera). It makes even “Itchy and Scratchy” look tasteful.

The sad point of all this fuss is that the cyber-noise generated by the Wicked Mouse of Gaza story is far more than newspapers will give to the Israeli and Palestinian children hurt in this conflict.

P.S. I thank Max, one of my few readers, for drawing my attention to Farfour's demise several days ago, and apologize that I didn't get round to it sooner.
(Click here to watch Farfour's last moments.)

By Tim McGirk/Jerusalem